December 14, 2023 • 32 mins
Meet Alexia Melocchi and Alexandra Yacovlef, owners of Little Studio Films in Beverly Hills, CA. This powerhouse mother-daughter visionary duo are recognized for spearheading blockbuster movie deals and generating billions in box office revenue worldwide. What's their secret? They believe nothing is impossible. Listen in and find out their recipe for success, how they started with nothing in a male-dominated industry and built an entrepreneurial empire that's growing and going strong, for years.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, I'm Tony Parente.
(00:10):
And I'm Mickey Pogano Parente.
We're owners of branding shorts, creative content agency.
And we're a couple of entrepreneurs.
We started this podcast because there are so many couples in business, just like us.
Poverty owners who took risks, some even spent their life savings to build a successful business.
(00:30):
Together, without ending their relationships.
In this podcast, you'll hear their inspiring stories.
Get tips, advice, and the secret to success for any entrepreneurial journey.
Welcome to our podcast, A Couple of Entrepreneurs.
Being that this is the last episode of the year, we want to do something a little different.
(00:51):
So today we have a mother and a daughter, a visionary duo, recognized for spear-hitting
blockbuster deals and generating billions in box office revenue.
Today, our guests are Alexia and Alexandra, the owners of Little Studio Films in LA.
Welcome to the show.
(01:15):
Thank you guys for taking the time today because you guys are also an amazing duo and we just
want to learn a little bit more about what you do and what you did with Little Studio
Films if you guys could talk a little bit about what that is.
And why together as a mother and daughter team?
Do you want to say something or should I?
Well, we trust each other tremendously.
(01:37):
We believe in each other.
We have pretty similar goals.
It's something really very special because everybody that I say is we are mother and
daughter, they say, how can you go alone?
Yes, we go alone.
You know what unite us?
The same thing that we believe in, you know, that people have values, that people have
(02:02):
dreams.
And the origin though, before like the real, real origin was that 30 years ago when I was
fresh out of high school, we had a family friend, friends of my mom, who says, hey,
you want to make some extra money while you're in high school?
Yes.
You speak all these languages.
(02:22):
There is this thing called the American film market.
You can go work for this Italian distributor who speaks no English.
Translate for him.
Yeah.
We're talking like 1986.
Okay.
So that's how long ago we're giving away my age.
But that's okay.
It's over 30 years.
Yeah.
And so I'm like, okay, I'll make some extra money.
(02:43):
And so I went and I started watching movies with him and negotiating deals with him and
you know, he was buying for Italy.
And then I call up my mom because of course I didn't have a car.
I wasn't driving.
And I'm like, mom, do you mind driving me to the Beverly Hills and I'm making some extra
money.
And then she comes, of course my mom being the queen that she is, she comes in and she's
(03:05):
in the lobby and she's chit chatting with all this big super wealthy distributor from
all over the world who happened to know her family name and you know, she speaks a ton
of languages and they're offering her to say, well, you represent us here because you know,
you know, so many languages, whatever.
So I'm there to make a hundred bucks a day and she's there making the million dollar
(03:26):
deals without even having started a company.
So I think, well, maybe if you graduate, maybe we should start a company.
We should be the bridge between the international world and the big, you know, money people
and distributors and the producers and act as a U.S. company.
And that's kind of how we started.
I was like literally 19 years old.
(03:48):
My mother had all this knowledge in finance and, you know, coming from a very well-known
Greek family and the whole thing.
And then she entered crazy Hollywood because of me and she still gets mad at me for it.
Sometimes going, what the hell are we doing?
She tells you why we're doing what we're doing.
My ex-partner was from New York, by the way, and he said to me when I told him I was going
(04:14):
to a Los Angeles, he said to me, are you crazy?
What are you going to do there?
Discuss business with people with flip flops?
And I said, well, I said, well, I don't know.
I want to try.
Just think now, what is in Hollywood?
Movies.
I came here and that was it and one Alexi was translating when he started actually.
(04:40):
It was not so easy, as she says it is.
It's not so easy.
Can we only have $5,000 when we first moved here?
Yeah, because my partner used to say, I want you to see how you're going to make it.
But nobody backed us and that's a funny story about it.
Nobody gave us $100.
We did it all or all.
And so when I went after I did this full translating thing, then I'm like, mom, let's start a company
(05:07):
together.
We had no idea what we were going to do, but we work great together.
People say, how do you work with your mother or how do you work with your daughter?
She's great because she is, first of all, she has, whenever I'm thinking small, she
helps me think bigger because sometimes I tend to be the charity Red Cross for other
people.
And she's like, what are you doing?
(05:28):
You got to think higher.
She's always been about aspiring higher, which is a great example.
And she's also very blunt, which sometimes is good in Hollywood because I tend to be
a bit of a people pleaser sometime because again, I want to help everybody save the animal,
save the dogs, the cats, the babies, right?
(05:48):
You know, you are not.
Yeah, we rescue videos for animals all the time.
Yep.
We know.
Yeah.
And you guys love your fur angels.
And then she's like, what are you doing?
So it's actually a great balance because when I need like a barracuda, I'll bring her in
the room because she has no problem, no censorship, which is great.
And they admire her for it.
(06:09):
And then when I need to be nice and tone things down, then I step in.
So in a room, people actually think we're almost like a reality show.
They say, you guys should have your own show because, you know, like, you know, I have a
question and maybe I don't want to sound like sexist or gender is whatever the right term
is, like, but you always see Hollywood, these moguls and all these guys, you know, these
older guys, now you're these two incredible women have done amazing things.
(06:33):
How hard was it?
Was it harder as females to kind of build your company?
Yeah, there is.
Well, was it harder as a woman?
Do you want to say?
Yes.
Yeah.
It was harder because I think they think of us as women.
Women are associated with public relations people.
They're right.
Social butterflies, right?
(06:54):
They're just to make the room prettier, just to connect.
And then when Barakuda right here, she starts in a good way.
She starts saying, hey, and laying down the law.
They're like, oh, you were nice.
And I'm like, I am nice, but I'm most of this woman and I'm smart.
Right.
Well, there were buyers that when we first started in the late eighties, was it?
(07:18):
No, no, no.
I cannot name names now, but they said to us, well, what do you need the money for?
You're working for a hobby.
And I said, no, we need to survive.
Wow.
They were laughing.
They didn't believe us.
And excuse me.
And when I got married, I got divorced and I asked, I'm saying something personal.
(07:44):
I asked my ex-husband, their journey that we need her to go to USC and he needed to
pay the tuition and stuff like that.
And he said, why?
I said, yeah, because I want her to do better.
And he said, well, then stay married.
You have a roof over your head and you don't worry about men.
Wow.
(08:05):
And that was my first approach with the difference of man and woman.
She even had to and that's going to be in her book.
I'm giving you guys a little teaser.
She's writing a book, which is going to be amazing, but soon to be announced.
But they're obviously inspired on my mom's life and her days.
Because I'm in the monkey club.
(08:27):
And where she went.
But another thing they're talking about sexism, like you said, is that we were selling movies
and people were making all this money.
People had no idea why and how we were doing it.
So it's all like we had the biggest movies in the plan.
We had good movies, but not the biggest.
What were the keys to get you guys to grow the company?
(08:47):
What did you guys, you know, it sounds like you had the language translation skills, which
were great.
You guys had their persistence to get things done, right?
What are some of the other keys, I guess, that you think helped you guys grow in this
not easy industry?
I think it's thinking outside of the box because we never, we always like to break the rules.
(09:07):
So whenever people say to us something, we're like, why?
Why is it this way?
Why not?
Why not?
Exactly.
I mean, since I was a kid, I didn't believe in limitations.
I said, because I grew up in a very conservative family that you do this, you do this, you
do this, you do this.
(09:28):
And I said, why?
And I remember very, very well that I said to some friends of my father one day, I said,
I think I'm going to buy when I can buy a car.
I think I can buy a Rolls Royce.
And they look at me and they say, wow, why are you saying this insanity?
(09:48):
You know, and at the end of this day, I have this tendency of believing that everything
is possible.
Really, really, really, everything is possible.
You manifested it.
There is no, the word impossible doesn't exist in my book.
And my book will prove that exactly that because I went to the best school in the world and
(10:15):
I was somebody who didn't have the money to pay the tuition.
And when I rewrote to that, to the school in London, she said, oh, I have an empty space
because somebody has paid and disappeared.
Would you like to take her place?
She left the money here for six months.
(10:36):
My tuition was covered for six, the first six months.
That's an incredible story.
So can you say this is impossible?
If I would have said to you, I'm going to that school knowing me and where I was coming
for it.
Yes, I did go.
Yeah.
And I also think also we believe in the power of relationships and you guys know because
(10:58):
you've experienced that for us, you know, in Hollywood, everything is about, well, what
can you do for me?
You know, everybody goes into a room starts pitching.
They don't even have like the manners to say, hey, you know, I like where did you come?
Like, oh, I know this.
There's a baby in your office.
You like having basic conversation skills and connecting.
(11:19):
And I think we because of your, you're, you're European and, you know, for us connecting
in real humans, we're human.
We're human.
We're not for professionals.
Exactly.
You are humans.
Exactly.
And I think that's important because when there is, you know, people want to work with
people they know and trust, you build your own relationships and your own business based
(11:40):
on the fact that you started in your neighborhood from West South side of working with the restaurants
and everything because they knew you and trusted you because you had covered some events for
them.
And so therefore then they hired you for more.
And I think if people were to spend more time relationship building versus just, oh, let
me do a newsletter glass.
I mean, that's great.
(12:02):
We need this marketing.
We need that in social media.
But ultimately people will remember.
And like I said, when you have a good memory, you can say, Hey, Mickie and Tony, we must
have a peninsula years ago.
And this was the name of your project.
That impresses people because they're like, okay, you acknowledge to see me.
You see I exist.
I'm a human first.
(12:22):
And I think to have success, right?
And anything.
Yeah.
Is to have a human and real connection first.
And that's what we pride ourselves on.
And why people keep coming to us is because we have great instincts.
We think outside of the box.
As mom said, nothing is impossible.
You know, and, and oh, nothing.
(12:44):
And we do relationship building and we want people to build a relationship with us.
It's not like, Hey, I want to pay you to work with you.
Well, why should I work with you?
Just because you want to pay me like we want to like you to work with you.
It's important.
Right.
It's not the way you like.
It's like a marriage, not by Nintendo.
Exactly.
Right.
(13:05):
Exactly.
It's a marriage.
Every business, every business partnership we're working with, it's like a marriage.
Either you are the same page or you are not on the same page.
There's no money in the world that can cover the gap.
Period.
And this is the absolutely truth.
And I saw it with my own eyes again and again and again and again.
(13:28):
Because the for instance in Hollywood, when we came, everybody was saying the same things.
Everybody had the same answers.
It's true.
Everybody had the same ways.
Oh, well, I mean, even on the phone when people are talking, no, we're, hello, say, how is
your day?
Good morning.
What is your name?
(13:49):
I mean, everybody is standardized.
There's no, there's so humanity behind the connection of the people.
And that's what has a long-winded response to your question.
No, but that's a great answer.
No, that is great.
No, I mean, when we do, you know, video production, the keyword Mickey always uses or some of
(14:10):
the keywords is emotional connection, human insight, right?
Like the real authenticity, right?
It's like, and that's what you guys are talking about.
Not the same standard cookie cutter.
It's just making a connection.
It's like you guys able to cut through, which is awesome.
And it's all the little things too, like you remember the peninsula hotel.
I mean, that's a little thing, but it's a big thing.
(14:32):
It's all the little things that are big things, details.
You know, that is interesting.
When you take on a project or choose to represent people, are there things you look for?
Having said what you're saying about chemistry and people and connections, are there things
you look for in a specific client?
(14:54):
Do you work with just anyone or you just very?
Because as you guys said, you have a lot of people coming to you, right?
They want your help.
You also have a lot of people coming to you.
So how do you, how do you, how do you decide like I want to work with this project or this
client because it's not can't be easy.
I need to say that.
You say it.
Yeah.
And then I'll say it.
I have to say, we used to sell, it's a feeling of the story is the feeling of the project.
(15:17):
Does the project creates a certain feeling for me?
People go to the movies because they want to feel something, not just moving images.
They want to relate.
That's why everybody's now saying, oh, it has to relate globally relate.
What globally relates?
(15:37):
Love relates, immigration lately, that's where we are doing America now.
Yes.
Something that it talks, not just moving images.
I mean, something that people have to say that touches the audience.
Period.
Yeah.
And I like to add full disclosure.
We don't represent that much anymore.
(16:01):
We're morally consulting and producing and being engaged to produce.
So we're doing less and less of sort of like the management model because it's too, it's
too much work.
It's not as rewarding as it is obviously the producing, the MPGA producers and helping.
But as mom, Alexandra, business partner used to say, for example, love, family values,
(16:26):
resilience, this is something that we can all relate to.
Inspiration.
Exactly.
Relate is inspiration.
Yeah.
Life is inspiration.
Like you wrote this book obviously about getting through 9-11, we all of a sudden started
getting involved and you can understand that because you're Italian descent, you know, with
(16:46):
about three projects that are all about Italians in America.
Right.
So, you know, we're working on a mini series that is talking about, you know, what the Italians
went through to come into this country and how they contributed to this country.
Right.
We're having another true story, which is about a New Yorker, by the way, Conchetta de
Gausio, who's one of the women that founded the first soup kitchens in New York, in Hell's
(17:11):
Kitchen back in the 1920s.
True woman that nobody knows about, but she was a woman that went against La Quiluciano
and the mobster to survive.
And so we want to tell those stories where people go, oh my gosh, I never heard of these
people, but look, they made a mark, even though they're not Beethoven or, you know, whoever,
they're not somebody instantly famous, but it's all the humans, those people that created
(17:35):
a change and nobody has ever heard of them.
And so for some reason, maybe it's because I need to give something back to the old country.
I don't know.
We're getting all these projects, right, set in New York, a couple of places, so we'll
probably have to work together on a few, but they'll all have to do with immigration.
Am I doing them because I'm Italian?
Yes, but I'm also doing them as mom said, because of the messages.
(17:58):
The rightness of the thing.
Yeah, the messages of those projects.
No, no, we love that.
That is such a great answer.
It's so funny because we're in Hoboken, New Jersey, the home of a very famous Italian
singer Frank Sinatra.
So we've volunteered our time.
They have an annual contest for all over the world.
People come here to be Frank.
Documentary.
So we did a documentary that's going to be, they're going to use something on PBS, right?
(18:18):
Coming up.
Ealy.
Yeah.
But we love that it's that side of it, the Italian spirit and immigration.
It's great.
My dad immigrated from Italy, you know, and he had a tough time, but he's from Vesuvius.
But they knew that the Italians were considered, you know, enemies to the country, especially
the one that were in camp, like all those pieces of Italian.
(18:40):
I mean, we were doing the Joe Pepitone biopic because again, another crazy Italian.
So it goes back to what you guys were saying before about being authentic to the people
you talk to when you work with people, but then also looking for stories and projects
that have that authenticity in it, right?
It sounds like there's almost like a connection.
Yeah, it's all about being real storyline or real historical fact.
(19:02):
But the person who is has a connection with a person who creates a connection with the
other is the one who has also a project that has a connection with the audience.
Because I mean, we've seen so many.
There was, we had somebody, you know, who pitched us.
He had the money.
There were a lot of money, 15 million dollars or something, the Greek.
(19:24):
And he said, I want to do this movie and we couldn't figure out why.
And I said, but this is nobody cares.
Nobody cares.
And he said, I don't care.
I have the money.
I do it for my own pleasure.
Even if I am the only audience in the theater, I said, wow, wow.
You have the money, I guess.
(19:45):
But we can always say no.
My God, we can afford to say no because we have longevity and will this represent us
as a brand granted.
You see our IMDB.
I also do horror movies.
I hate horror movies.
So that Halloween was Halloween.
And also dark parasite.
But you know, I really believe filmmakers behind it are these Italians that we represent,
(20:06):
one of the few ones.
And I believe in who they are in their talents.
I'm like, don't let me read the script because I'm going to be terrified.
Just make the movie and we'll sell it and it's all good.
But I think the world needs and I love what you guys are doing because the world needs
inspiration right now.
They really do.
(20:26):
Especially now.
Especially now.
Especially now.
Absolutely.
We need, we need the more inspiration than ever.
And I think what you guys are saying too is storytelling, right?
That people get to see.
There's a way to get that out there, right?
To get that inspiration.
Yeah.
And you know, like we're saying about Halloween.
I mean, Halloween, it's kind of like really a kind of horror comedy and it's really funny.
(20:51):
It doesn't appeal to me, but I'm making it for the money because everybody around.
She's making it for the money.
I'm making it because I just want to lock my head off because it's funny and it's scary,
but it's got.
I don't believe in it, but so.
I think it doesn't make it.
It doesn't make it.
Yeah.
But you know, and that's where we have an interesting relationship, by the way, because
there's stuff that I only shepherd and stuff that she likes to shepherd that I'm not necessarily
(21:15):
a hundred percent on.
And that's what makes it interesting in our dynamic as mother and daughter and business
partner is that we can agree to disagree.
It's important.
I'm sure the two of you have sometimes arguments about the client and client that may be.
We never, we never argue.
We never argue about anything.
We never.
I never win.
(21:36):
I never win.
Is mama always right?
Yeah, I'm always right.
Sadly, she is.
I have.
Sometimes I hate to admit it because she was, if you don't want to work with this, yes,
I do.
And then you don't want to work.
And then six months later, I was like, oh, I don't know.
They screwed me.
It's like, I told you, but you're stubborn as a mule and you did it.
(22:00):
So there comes the mother, daughter dynamic.
I mean, also the God knows.
We say, listen to your God, listen to your God knows better than you.
We have logic.
Yes, but there is some bad and that no, no, it's listening to your God.
That's a great thing when you guys are saying it because we were going to ask you, like,
(22:21):
how do you, when you don't agree, right?
Or maybe you do agree.
Like how, what's the key to making decisions in that?
You're talking about that now a little bit.
Your gut, right?
Is like, you're listening to your gut or like, what are the keys when you don't agree to
help make decisions?
We're both stubborn and she goes her own way and I go my own way.
But we still pick the broadcast.
We're like, yeah, but I like that.
(22:42):
I'm going to do it anyway.
And then she does the same.
I don't know.
We have to.
That's why you get two of us, a couple of entrepreneurs, right?
How do you separate your personal lives and your relationship as a family and family with
business?
How do you separate?
Or can you, can you do you separate it?
(23:02):
We separate in the company.
It's Alexia and it's Alexander.
She doesn't call me mom anymore.
Yes, we are two people working together.
We are not mother and daughter.
We have, we work together.
There are projects as champions and I have no idea.
When you are older, you can say no easily.
Okay.
(23:23):
Because you don't have time to waste and BS or you don't have time to correct things.
Either it appears or it doesn't appeal.
You know, one of the two.
There is no, I guess, but maybe if we get this, no, no, I like that.
I like that.
Just cut to the chase.
(23:44):
Do it's true, true to your heart.
Right.
I like that.
I just live all my life under this thing.
I do what I feel is right and the care is, I don't care.
Right.
You don't care what people say.
And I do want to say one last thing and it goes to acknowledging you both as a company
and what you're doing is that.
(24:05):
Fantastic.
What are you doing?
Yeah.
And everything is branding and it's so true.
And so when you're having something that is obvious, like you're talking about the
Sinatra, you're talking about what you do, branding, shorts, everybody has, everything
has to have a brand and has to have an identity because you can have the greatest thing.
So again, you have to have those things.
(24:26):
You know, I was telling you about, you know, this Mama Dallas is like, okay, the brand
is woman.
The one against lucky Luchano.
So you're looking at the brand of New York, fighting the mob.
So you have to have elements of things that you can sell.
People can relate to us.
Yeah.
The singing competition to be the Sinatra.
I mean, you got the brand of Sinatra.
(24:49):
You got the brand of the restaurant.
You have to have some type of branding in whatever you do.
And that's why I always say to people, you know, you have to know your why, first of
all, as a company, like why you do what you do.
And you have to be very clear about what the heck you're doing.
Sometimes people don't know.
So the what and the why are so important.
(25:11):
So important.
But the why primarily, and sometimes people do things for the wrong reason.
So you guys know, because you've done some self development work and growth is that knowing
what your why is and knowing that you're willing to do whatever it takes to make it.
It's so important because people are like, no, I just want to make money.
I want to be famous.
I want to be, that's not a why.
(25:32):
The why is because I get up in the morning and I smile and I have joy in my face.
And my heart is happy.
And you know, I look and I'm like, there is a great day ahead of me.
Maybe I'll make a dollar.
Maybe I'll make a million.
It doesn't matter, but I'm hell.
What a ride.
Right.
And that's my last and final two cents.
(25:53):
That was more than two cents.
That was like many dollars.
That was great.
The why is so important.
It's your purpose.
You guys have so many great insights from what you've done that's very shareable, which
is great to other people trying to get, especially like you guys said, it's not the easiest time
right now.
So people are, and then there's probably a lot more people like trying to start their
own businesses right now because they're getting laid off for what's going on right
(26:16):
now.
You heard a lot of those stories of people getting laid off right now and starting, trying
to start new.
Yep.
Yeah.
And it's sad because it's happening in LA too.
People don't need.
They don't need people, you know, or they don't need.
I mean, even in a supermarket, everything is automated.
They don't need tellers.
(26:37):
So people have to think about what is it they can do that they can share their gifts in
some way and whether it's through entertainment, whether it's, you know, being an Uber driver,
but then writing a novel or then, you know, starting inventing something.
No, but that's not, you know, again, we're trying to, to tell people that, yes, show
(26:59):
business, everybody has a dream of show business, but it is a business, you know, it is a business.
It's a business.
Yeah.
So they have to look at it this way, no matter what it is.
So our business is no different than yours.
You know, it's more, there's creativity involved, but we're still having the same struggles
and challenges and having to check on our mindset, check on our life rules, our, you
(27:23):
know, morals as you call them, you know, keep those because integrity.
So I think all those things are important.
Yeah.
And you share, and if you guys are okay if I mentioned this, you have your own podcast.
Yeah.
I was just going to say, you know, so because you're, each other's minds, that's what happens
to you.
We read each other's minds.
I don't know what's in my mind.
I don't want her to read my mind all the time because I don't know what's in there all
(27:44):
the time.
But can you, it sounds like you share insights on this from the people you talk to.
Which is an awesome, awesome podcast.
So I don't know if you want to talk a little bit about what that is.
Oh, thank you so much for that.
Thank you.
It's called, it's called the heart of show business.
Don't ask me about the podcast.
It's called the heart of show business, the heart, right?
Because everything starts with the heart.
(28:06):
And the reason I created it is exactly for that reason.
Yes, it is about show business, but it's also about inspiration.
And everybody wants, I think people are sick and tired of hearing of the lives of some
celebrity or the Kardashians or, you know, this big Oscar winning person and hearing,
oh, what kind of clothes are you wearing?
What kind of, they want to know the stories of struggle and survival and hearing the why,
(28:31):
what keeps them up at night, what keeps them going.
And so I, during COVID, I was losing my mind as we all wear.
And I'm like, okay, let me bring on some of my industry friends to discuss the journey,
the journey to success and what it's like to be a consummate professional and work
hard every day and whatever it is you choose to do.
And so, you know, as you have seen, I bring all kinds of people from actress to filmmaker.
(28:54):
Sometimes I bring authors.
I can't wait to have you on my show to talk about your book.
I bring, you know, mindset people, whatever that is, it is going to help people.
So for anybody that is a movie or TV fan, they're going to love that.
People who want to be creative, they're going to love that.
But it's also for mindset.
And as we all know, it makes zero money.
(29:16):
It's a work of love as you guys do.
Yeah.
But I'm going to keep on doing.
I'm going to try to keep on cranking those two episodes a month until I can.
And yeah, check it out if you like.
Yeah.
And I'll say we've listened to it and it's amazing.
It is amazing.
So we recommend every blind.
It's inspiring.
It's great.
Truly inspiring.
Thank you so very much.
(29:36):
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
So I don't know if there's anything else you guys want to share about like working
out a business or to other entrepreneurs that are just trying to find their ways right
now because you've covered a lot of great ground.
You've already provided a ton of insight.
So great.
And what I would say is do the inner work.
Nothing outer happens without the inner.
(29:58):
And so whenever there is hard times, you know, I always say that life doesn't happen to you.
Life happens for you as my great mentor, Tony Robbins says all the time.
But many other people say that he didn't reinvent the wheel, but he's damn good at
it.
But life happens for you.
So whenever there's something and even with us when we're having something go wrong in
(30:22):
the moment, we get upset.
Why on earth that happened?
But then it will happen more often than not.
The two years later, we're like, oh my God, that was such a blessing.
That was such a blessing.
We dodged the bullet there.
You know, in the moment, you can't see it because you're seeing just what is happening.
But I would say that 99.9% of the times you just give it time and you will see the reason
(30:49):
why that thing happened.
And it's always, always for you, never against you.
And that's what I would say to people.
I love that.
I truly believe that things happen for a reason.
And you might not know, like you may not know at the time, but then later on you're like,
you know what?
You're like that thread connecting all of those events and that happened because this
(31:15):
had to happen.
Right.
Like, look who would have sung that we would be on a podcast together.
That's true.
I love it.
Right.
So you'll never know.
And we might be doing stuff together or above and beyond that now.
That would be great.
Yeah.
You guys are both incredible.
We know like how busy your schedules are.
And we so appreciate you.
(31:35):
So I appreciate you doing this like because these insights are, I wish we wish we had
them on sooner.
I mean, it's just incredible.
It's great.
So thank you so much for having us.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for being our guest.
For more information about our guests, visit littlestudiofilms.com.
(31:55):
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share, subscribe and give us a review.
We would so appreciate it.
A couple of entrepreneurs is available on all podcast platforms.
For more information about our business and what we do, visit burningshorts.com.
Thanks for listening.
Hi, I'm Tony Parente.
(00:10):
And I'm Mickey Pogano Parente.
We're owners of branding shorts, creative content agency.
And we're a couple of entrepreneurs.
We started this podcast because there are so many couples in business, just like us.
Poverty owners who took risks, some even spent their life savings to build a successful business.
(00:30):
Together, without ending their relationships.
In this podcast, you'll hear their inspiring stories.
Get tips, advice, and the secret to success for any entrepreneurial journey.
Welcome to our podcast, A Couple of Entrepreneurs.
Being that this is the last episode of the year, we want to do something a little different.
(00:51):
So today we have a mother and a daughter, a visionary duo, recognized for spear-hitting
blockbuster deals and generating billions in box office revenue.
Today, our guests are Alexia and Alexandra, the owners of Little Studio Films in LA.
Welcome to the show.
(01:15):
Thank you guys for taking the time today because you guys are also an amazing duo and we just
want to learn a little bit more about what you do and what you did with Little Studio
Films if you guys could talk a little bit about what that is.
And why together as a mother and daughter team?
Do you want to say something or should I?
Well, we trust each other tremendously.
(01:37):
We believe in each other.
We have pretty similar goals.
It's something really very special because everybody that I say is we are mother and
daughter, they say, how can you go alone?
Yes, we go alone.
You know what unite us?
The same thing that we believe in, you know, that people have values, that people have
(02:02):
dreams.
And the origin though, before like the real, real origin was that 30 years ago when I was
fresh out of high school, we had a family friend, friends of my mom, who says, hey,
you want to make some extra money while you're in high school?
Yes.
You speak all these languages.
(02:22):
There is this thing called the American film market.
You can go work for this Italian distributor who speaks no English.
Translate for him.
Yeah.
We're talking like 1986.
Okay.
So that's how long ago we're giving away my age.
But that's okay.
It's over 30 years.
Yeah.
And so I'm like, okay, I'll make some extra money.
(02:43):
And so I went and I started watching movies with him and negotiating deals with him and
you know, he was buying for Italy.
And then I call up my mom because of course I didn't have a car.
I wasn't driving.
And I'm like, mom, do you mind driving me to the Beverly Hills and I'm making some extra
money.
And then she comes, of course my mom being the queen that she is, she comes in and she's
(03:05):
in the lobby and she's chit chatting with all this big super wealthy distributor from
all over the world who happened to know her family name and you know, she speaks a ton
of languages and they're offering her to say, well, you represent us here because you know,
you know, so many languages, whatever.
So I'm there to make a hundred bucks a day and she's there making the million dollar
(03:26):
deals without even having started a company.
So I think, well, maybe if you graduate, maybe we should start a company.
We should be the bridge between the international world and the big, you know, money people
and distributors and the producers and act as a U.S. company.
And that's kind of how we started.
I was like literally 19 years old.
(03:48):
My mother had all this knowledge in finance and, you know, coming from a very well-known
Greek family and the whole thing.
And then she entered crazy Hollywood because of me and she still gets mad at me for it.
Sometimes going, what the hell are we doing?
She tells you why we're doing what we're doing.
My ex-partner was from New York, by the way, and he said to me when I told him I was going
(04:14):
to a Los Angeles, he said to me, are you crazy?
What are you going to do there?
Discuss business with people with flip flops?
And I said, well, I said, well, I don't know.
I want to try.
Just think now, what is in Hollywood?
Movies.
I came here and that was it and one Alexi was translating when he started actually.
(04:40):
It was not so easy, as she says it is.
It's not so easy.
Can we only have $5,000 when we first moved here?
Yeah, because my partner used to say, I want you to see how you're going to make it.
But nobody backed us and that's a funny story about it.
Nobody gave us $100.
We did it all or all.
And so when I went after I did this full translating thing, then I'm like, mom, let's start a company
(05:07):
together.
We had no idea what we were going to do, but we work great together.
People say, how do you work with your mother or how do you work with your daughter?
She's great because she is, first of all, she has, whenever I'm thinking small, she
helps me think bigger because sometimes I tend to be the charity Red Cross for other
people.
And she's like, what are you doing?
(05:28):
You got to think higher.
She's always been about aspiring higher, which is a great example.
And she's also very blunt, which sometimes is good in Hollywood because I tend to be
a bit of a people pleaser sometime because again, I want to help everybody save the animal,
save the dogs, the cats, the babies, right?
(05:48):
You know, you are not.
Yeah, we rescue videos for animals all the time.
Yep.
We know.
Yeah.
And you guys love your fur angels.
And then she's like, what are you doing?
So it's actually a great balance because when I need like a barracuda, I'll bring her in
the room because she has no problem, no censorship, which is great.
And they admire her for it.
(06:09):
And then when I need to be nice and tone things down, then I step in.
So in a room, people actually think we're almost like a reality show.
They say, you guys should have your own show because, you know, like, you know, I have a
question and maybe I don't want to sound like sexist or gender is whatever the right term
is, like, but you always see Hollywood, these moguls and all these guys, you know, these
older guys, now you're these two incredible women have done amazing things.
(06:33):
How hard was it?
Was it harder as females to kind of build your company?
Yeah, there is.
Well, was it harder as a woman?
Do you want to say?
Yes.
Yeah.
It was harder because I think they think of us as women.
Women are associated with public relations people.
They're right.
Social butterflies, right?
(06:54):
They're just to make the room prettier, just to connect.
And then when Barakuda right here, she starts in a good way.
She starts saying, hey, and laying down the law.
They're like, oh, you were nice.
And I'm like, I am nice, but I'm most of this woman and I'm smart.
Right.
Well, there were buyers that when we first started in the late eighties, was it?
(07:18):
No, no, no.
I cannot name names now, but they said to us, well, what do you need the money for?
You're working for a hobby.
And I said, no, we need to survive.
Wow.
They were laughing.
They didn't believe us.
And excuse me.
And when I got married, I got divorced and I asked, I'm saying something personal.
(07:44):
I asked my ex-husband, their journey that we need her to go to USC and he needed to
pay the tuition and stuff like that.
And he said, why?
I said, yeah, because I want her to do better.
And he said, well, then stay married.
You have a roof over your head and you don't worry about men.
Wow.
(08:05):
And that was my first approach with the difference of man and woman.
She even had to and that's going to be in her book.
I'm giving you guys a little teaser.
She's writing a book, which is going to be amazing, but soon to be announced.
But they're obviously inspired on my mom's life and her days.
Because I'm in the monkey club.
(08:27):
And where she went.
But another thing they're talking about sexism, like you said, is that we were selling movies
and people were making all this money.
People had no idea why and how we were doing it.
So it's all like we had the biggest movies in the plan.
We had good movies, but not the biggest.
What were the keys to get you guys to grow the company?
(08:47):
What did you guys, you know, it sounds like you had the language translation skills, which
were great.
You guys had their persistence to get things done, right?
What are some of the other keys, I guess, that you think helped you guys grow in this
not easy industry?
I think it's thinking outside of the box because we never, we always like to break the rules.
(09:07):
So whenever people say to us something, we're like, why?
Why is it this way?
Why not?
Why not?
Exactly.
I mean, since I was a kid, I didn't believe in limitations.
I said, because I grew up in a very conservative family that you do this, you do this, you
do this, you do this.
(09:28):
And I said, why?
And I remember very, very well that I said to some friends of my father one day, I said,
I think I'm going to buy when I can buy a car.
I think I can buy a Rolls Royce.
And they look at me and they say, wow, why are you saying this insanity?
(09:48):
You know, and at the end of this day, I have this tendency of believing that everything
is possible.
Really, really, really, everything is possible.
You manifested it.
There is no, the word impossible doesn't exist in my book.
And my book will prove that exactly that because I went to the best school in the world and
(10:15):
I was somebody who didn't have the money to pay the tuition.
And when I rewrote to that, to the school in London, she said, oh, I have an empty space
because somebody has paid and disappeared.
Would you like to take her place?
She left the money here for six months.
(10:36):
My tuition was covered for six, the first six months.
That's an incredible story.
So can you say this is impossible?
If I would have said to you, I'm going to that school knowing me and where I was coming
for it.
Yes, I did go.
Yeah.
And I also think also we believe in the power of relationships and you guys know because
(10:58):
you've experienced that for us, you know, in Hollywood, everything is about, well, what
can you do for me?
You know, everybody goes into a room starts pitching.
They don't even have like the manners to say, hey, you know, I like where did you come?
Like, oh, I know this.
There's a baby in your office.
You like having basic conversation skills and connecting.
(11:19):
And I think we because of your, you're, you're European and, you know, for us connecting
in real humans, we're human.
We're human.
We're not for professionals.
Exactly.
You are humans.
Exactly.
And I think that's important because when there is, you know, people want to work with
people they know and trust, you build your own relationships and your own business based
(11:40):
on the fact that you started in your neighborhood from West South side of working with the restaurants
and everything because they knew you and trusted you because you had covered some events for
them.
And so therefore then they hired you for more.
And I think if people were to spend more time relationship building versus just, oh, let
me do a newsletter glass.
I mean, that's great.
(12:02):
We need this marketing.
We need that in social media.
But ultimately people will remember.
And like I said, when you have a good memory, you can say, Hey, Mickie and Tony, we must
have a peninsula years ago.
And this was the name of your project.
That impresses people because they're like, okay, you acknowledge to see me.
You see I exist.
I'm a human first.
(12:22):
And I think to have success, right?
And anything.
Yeah.
Is to have a human and real connection first.
And that's what we pride ourselves on.
And why people keep coming to us is because we have great instincts.
We think outside of the box.
As mom said, nothing is impossible.
You know, and, and oh, nothing.
(12:44):
And we do relationship building and we want people to build a relationship with us.
It's not like, Hey, I want to pay you to work with you.
Well, why should I work with you?
Just because you want to pay me like we want to like you to work with you.
It's important.
Right.
It's not the way you like.
It's like a marriage, not by Nintendo.
Exactly.
Right.
(13:05):
Exactly.
It's a marriage.
Every business, every business partnership we're working with, it's like a marriage.
Either you are the same page or you are not on the same page.
There's no money in the world that can cover the gap.
Period.
And this is the absolutely truth.
And I saw it with my own eyes again and again and again and again.
(13:28):
Because the for instance in Hollywood, when we came, everybody was saying the same things.
Everybody had the same answers.
It's true.
Everybody had the same ways.
Oh, well, I mean, even on the phone when people are talking, no, we're, hello, say, how is
your day?
Good morning.
What is your name?
(13:49):
I mean, everybody is standardized.
There's no, there's so humanity behind the connection of the people.
And that's what has a long-winded response to your question.
No, but that's a great answer.
No, that is great.
No, I mean, when we do, you know, video production, the keyword Mickey always uses or some of
(14:10):
the keywords is emotional connection, human insight, right?
Like the real authenticity, right?
It's like, and that's what you guys are talking about.
Not the same standard cookie cutter.
It's just making a connection.
It's like you guys able to cut through, which is awesome.
And it's all the little things too, like you remember the peninsula hotel.
I mean, that's a little thing, but it's a big thing.
(14:32):
It's all the little things that are big things, details.
You know, that is interesting.
When you take on a project or choose to represent people, are there things you look for?
Having said what you're saying about chemistry and people and connections, are there things
you look for in a specific client?
(14:54):
Do you work with just anyone or you just very?
Because as you guys said, you have a lot of people coming to you, right?
They want your help.
You also have a lot of people coming to you.
So how do you, how do you, how do you decide like I want to work with this project or this
client because it's not can't be easy.
I need to say that.
You say it.
Yeah.
And then I'll say it.
I have to say, we used to sell, it's a feeling of the story is the feeling of the project.
(15:17):
Does the project creates a certain feeling for me?
People go to the movies because they want to feel something, not just moving images.
They want to relate.
That's why everybody's now saying, oh, it has to relate globally relate.
What globally relates?
(15:37):
Love relates, immigration lately, that's where we are doing America now.
Yes.
Something that it talks, not just moving images.
I mean, something that people have to say that touches the audience.
Period.
Yeah.
And I like to add full disclosure.
We don't represent that much anymore.
(16:01):
We're morally consulting and producing and being engaged to produce.
So we're doing less and less of sort of like the management model because it's too, it's
too much work.
It's not as rewarding as it is obviously the producing, the MPGA producers and helping.
But as mom, Alexandra, business partner used to say, for example, love, family values,
(16:26):
resilience, this is something that we can all relate to.
Inspiration.
Exactly.
Relate is inspiration.
Yeah.
Life is inspiration.
Like you wrote this book obviously about getting through 9-11, we all of a sudden started
getting involved and you can understand that because you're Italian descent, you know, with
(16:46):
about three projects that are all about Italians in America.
Right.
So, you know, we're working on a mini series that is talking about, you know, what the Italians
went through to come into this country and how they contributed to this country.
Right.
We're having another true story, which is about a New Yorker, by the way, Conchetta de
Gausio, who's one of the women that founded the first soup kitchens in New York, in Hell's
(17:11):
Kitchen back in the 1920s.
True woman that nobody knows about, but she was a woman that went against La Quiluciano
and the mobster to survive.
And so we want to tell those stories where people go, oh my gosh, I never heard of these
people, but look, they made a mark, even though they're not Beethoven or, you know, whoever,
they're not somebody instantly famous, but it's all the humans, those people that created
(17:35):
a change and nobody has ever heard of them.
And so for some reason, maybe it's because I need to give something back to the old country.
I don't know.
We're getting all these projects, right, set in New York, a couple of places, so we'll
probably have to work together on a few, but they'll all have to do with immigration.
Am I doing them because I'm Italian?
Yes, but I'm also doing them as mom said, because of the messages.
(17:58):
The rightness of the thing.
Yeah, the messages of those projects.
No, no, we love that.
That is such a great answer.
It's so funny because we're in Hoboken, New Jersey, the home of a very famous Italian
singer Frank Sinatra.
So we've volunteered our time.
They have an annual contest for all over the world.
People come here to be Frank.
Documentary.
So we did a documentary that's going to be, they're going to use something on PBS, right?
(18:18):
Coming up.
Ealy.
Yeah.
But we love that it's that side of it, the Italian spirit and immigration.
It's great.
My dad immigrated from Italy, you know, and he had a tough time, but he's from Vesuvius.
But they knew that the Italians were considered, you know, enemies to the country, especially
the one that were in camp, like all those pieces of Italian.
(18:40):
I mean, we were doing the Joe Pepitone biopic because again, another crazy Italian.
So it goes back to what you guys were saying before about being authentic to the people
you talk to when you work with people, but then also looking for stories and projects
that have that authenticity in it, right?
It sounds like there's almost like a connection.
Yeah, it's all about being real storyline or real historical fact.
(19:02):
But the person who is has a connection with a person who creates a connection with the
other is the one who has also a project that has a connection with the audience.
Because I mean, we've seen so many.
There was, we had somebody, you know, who pitched us.
He had the money.
There were a lot of money, 15 million dollars or something, the Greek.
(19:24):
And he said, I want to do this movie and we couldn't figure out why.
And I said, but this is nobody cares.
Nobody cares.
And he said, I don't care.
I have the money.
I do it for my own pleasure.
Even if I am the only audience in the theater, I said, wow, wow.
You have the money, I guess.
(19:45):
But we can always say no.
My God, we can afford to say no because we have longevity and will this represent us
as a brand granted.
You see our IMDB.
I also do horror movies.
I hate horror movies.
So that Halloween was Halloween.
And also dark parasite.
But you know, I really believe filmmakers behind it are these Italians that we represent,
(20:06):
one of the few ones.
And I believe in who they are in their talents.
I'm like, don't let me read the script because I'm going to be terrified.
Just make the movie and we'll sell it and it's all good.
But I think the world needs and I love what you guys are doing because the world needs
inspiration right now.
They really do.
(20:26):
Especially now.
Especially now.
Especially now.
Absolutely.
We need, we need the more inspiration than ever.
And I think what you guys are saying too is storytelling, right?
That people get to see.
There's a way to get that out there, right?
To get that inspiration.
Yeah.
And you know, like we're saying about Halloween.
I mean, Halloween, it's kind of like really a kind of horror comedy and it's really funny.
(20:51):
It doesn't appeal to me, but I'm making it for the money because everybody around.
She's making it for the money.
I'm making it because I just want to lock my head off because it's funny and it's scary,
but it's got.
I don't believe in it, but so.
I think it doesn't make it.
It doesn't make it.
Yeah.
But you know, and that's where we have an interesting relationship, by the way, because
there's stuff that I only shepherd and stuff that she likes to shepherd that I'm not necessarily
(21:15):
a hundred percent on.
And that's what makes it interesting in our dynamic as mother and daughter and business
partner is that we can agree to disagree.
It's important.
I'm sure the two of you have sometimes arguments about the client and client that may be.
We never, we never argue.
We never argue about anything.
We never.
I never win.
(21:36):
I never win.
Is mama always right?
Yeah, I'm always right.
Sadly, she is.
I have.
Sometimes I hate to admit it because she was, if you don't want to work with this, yes,
I do.
And then you don't want to work.
And then six months later, I was like, oh, I don't know.
They screwed me.
It's like, I told you, but you're stubborn as a mule and you did it.
(22:00):
So there comes the mother, daughter dynamic.
I mean, also the God knows.
We say, listen to your God, listen to your God knows better than you.
We have logic.
Yes, but there is some bad and that no, no, it's listening to your God.
That's a great thing when you guys are saying it because we were going to ask you, like,
(22:21):
how do you, when you don't agree, right?
Or maybe you do agree.
Like how, what's the key to making decisions in that?
You're talking about that now a little bit.
Your gut, right?
Is like, you're listening to your gut or like, what are the keys when you don't agree to
help make decisions?
We're both stubborn and she goes her own way and I go my own way.
But we still pick the broadcast.
We're like, yeah, but I like that.
(22:42):
I'm going to do it anyway.
And then she does the same.
I don't know.
We have to.
That's why you get two of us, a couple of entrepreneurs, right?
How do you separate your personal lives and your relationship as a family and family with
business?
How do you separate?
Or can you, can you do you separate it?
(23:02):
We separate in the company.
It's Alexia and it's Alexander.
She doesn't call me mom anymore.
Yes, we are two people working together.
We are not mother and daughter.
We have, we work together.
There are projects as champions and I have no idea.
When you are older, you can say no easily.
Okay.
(23:23):
Because you don't have time to waste and BS or you don't have time to correct things.
Either it appears or it doesn't appeal.
You know, one of the two.
There is no, I guess, but maybe if we get this, no, no, I like that.
I like that.
Just cut to the chase.
(23:44):
Do it's true, true to your heart.
Right.
I like that.
I just live all my life under this thing.
I do what I feel is right and the care is, I don't care.
Right.
You don't care what people say.
And I do want to say one last thing and it goes to acknowledging you both as a company
and what you're doing is that.
(24:05):
Fantastic.
What are you doing?
Yeah.
And everything is branding and it's so true.
And so when you're having something that is obvious, like you're talking about the
Sinatra, you're talking about what you do, branding, shorts, everybody has, everything
has to have a brand and has to have an identity because you can have the greatest thing.
So again, you have to have those things.
(24:26):
You know, I was telling you about, you know, this Mama Dallas is like, okay, the brand
is woman.
The one against lucky Luchano.
So you're looking at the brand of New York, fighting the mob.
So you have to have elements of things that you can sell.
People can relate to us.
Yeah.
The singing competition to be the Sinatra.
I mean, you got the brand of Sinatra.
(24:49):
You got the brand of the restaurant.
You have to have some type of branding in whatever you do.
And that's why I always say to people, you know, you have to know your why, first of
all, as a company, like why you do what you do.
And you have to be very clear about what the heck you're doing.
Sometimes people don't know.
So the what and the why are so important.
(25:11):
So important.
But the why primarily, and sometimes people do things for the wrong reason.
So you guys know, because you've done some self development work and growth is that knowing
what your why is and knowing that you're willing to do whatever it takes to make it.
It's so important because people are like, no, I just want to make money.
I want to be famous.
I want to be, that's not a why.
(25:32):
The why is because I get up in the morning and I smile and I have joy in my face.
And my heart is happy.
And you know, I look and I'm like, there is a great day ahead of me.
Maybe I'll make a dollar.
Maybe I'll make a million.
It doesn't matter, but I'm hell.
What a ride.
Right.
And that's my last and final two cents.
(25:53):
That was more than two cents.
That was like many dollars.
That was great.
The why is so important.
It's your purpose.
You guys have so many great insights from what you've done that's very shareable, which
is great to other people trying to get, especially like you guys said, it's not the easiest time
right now.
So people are, and then there's probably a lot more people like trying to start their
own businesses right now because they're getting laid off for what's going on right
(26:16):
now.
You heard a lot of those stories of people getting laid off right now and starting, trying
to start new.
Yep.
Yeah.
And it's sad because it's happening in LA too.
People don't need.
They don't need people, you know, or they don't need.
I mean, even in a supermarket, everything is automated.
They don't need tellers.
(26:37):
So people have to think about what is it they can do that they can share their gifts in
some way and whether it's through entertainment, whether it's, you know, being an Uber driver,
but then writing a novel or then, you know, starting inventing something.
No, but that's not, you know, again, we're trying to, to tell people that, yes, show
(26:59):
business, everybody has a dream of show business, but it is a business, you know, it is a business.
It's a business.
Yeah.
So they have to look at it this way, no matter what it is.
So our business is no different than yours.
You know, it's more, there's creativity involved, but we're still having the same struggles
and challenges and having to check on our mindset, check on our life rules, our, you
(27:23):
know, morals as you call them, you know, keep those because integrity.
So I think all those things are important.
Yeah.
And you share, and if you guys are okay if I mentioned this, you have your own podcast.
Yeah.
I was just going to say, you know, so because you're, each other's minds, that's what happens
to you.
We read each other's minds.
I don't know what's in my mind.
I don't want her to read my mind all the time because I don't know what's in there all
(27:44):
the time.
But can you, it sounds like you share insights on this from the people you talk to.
Which is an awesome, awesome podcast.
So I don't know if you want to talk a little bit about what that is.
Oh, thank you so much for that.
Thank you.
It's called, it's called the heart of show business.
Don't ask me about the podcast.
It's called the heart of show business, the heart, right?
Because everything starts with the heart.
(28:06):
And the reason I created it is exactly for that reason.
Yes, it is about show business, but it's also about inspiration.
And everybody wants, I think people are sick and tired of hearing of the lives of some
celebrity or the Kardashians or, you know, this big Oscar winning person and hearing,
oh, what kind of clothes are you wearing?
What kind of, they want to know the stories of struggle and survival and hearing the why,
(28:31):
what keeps them up at night, what keeps them going.
And so I, during COVID, I was losing my mind as we all wear.
And I'm like, okay, let me bring on some of my industry friends to discuss the journey,
the journey to success and what it's like to be a consummate professional and work
hard every day and whatever it is you choose to do.
And so, you know, as you have seen, I bring all kinds of people from actress to filmmaker.
(28:54):
Sometimes I bring authors.
I can't wait to have you on my show to talk about your book.
I bring, you know, mindset people, whatever that is, it is going to help people.
So for anybody that is a movie or TV fan, they're going to love that.
People who want to be creative, they're going to love that.
But it's also for mindset.
And as we all know, it makes zero money.
(29:16):
It's a work of love as you guys do.
Yeah.
But I'm going to keep on doing.
I'm going to try to keep on cranking those two episodes a month until I can.
And yeah, check it out if you like.
Yeah.
And I'll say we've listened to it and it's amazing.
It is amazing.
So we recommend every blind.
It's inspiring.
It's great.
Truly inspiring.
Thank you so very much.
(29:36):
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
So I don't know if there's anything else you guys want to share about like working
out a business or to other entrepreneurs that are just trying to find their ways right
now because you've covered a lot of great ground.
You've already provided a ton of insight.
So great.
And what I would say is do the inner work.
Nothing outer happens without the inner.
(29:58):
And so whenever there is hard times, you know, I always say that life doesn't happen to you.
Life happens for you as my great mentor, Tony Robbins says all the time.
But many other people say that he didn't reinvent the wheel, but he's damn good at
it.
But life happens for you.
So whenever there's something and even with us when we're having something go wrong in
(30:22):
the moment, we get upset.
Why on earth that happened?
But then it will happen more often than not.
The two years later, we're like, oh my God, that was such a blessing.
That was such a blessing.
We dodged the bullet there.
You know, in the moment, you can't see it because you're seeing just what is happening.
But I would say that 99.9% of the times you just give it time and you will see the reason
(30:49):
why that thing happened.
And it's always, always for you, never against you.
And that's what I would say to people.
I love that.
I truly believe that things happen for a reason.
And you might not know, like you may not know at the time, but then later on you're like,
you know what?
You're like that thread connecting all of those events and that happened because this
(31:15):
had to happen.
Right.
Like, look who would have sung that we would be on a podcast together.
That's true.
I love it.
Right.
So you'll never know.
And we might be doing stuff together or above and beyond that now.
That would be great.
Yeah.
You guys are both incredible.
We know like how busy your schedules are.
And we so appreciate you.
(31:35):
So I appreciate you doing this like because these insights are, I wish we wish we had
them on sooner.
I mean, it's just incredible.
It's great.
So thank you so much for having us.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for being our guest.
For more information about our guests, visit littlestudiofilms.com.
(31:55):
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share, subscribe and give us a review.
We would so appreciate it.
A couple of entrepreneurs is available on all podcast platforms.
For more information about our business and what we do, visit burningshorts.com.
Thanks for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com